Maybelline's Clear Smooth Shine-Free Clear B.B. Stick Review (01 Fresh)

I picked up this ages ago (2 years to be exact) at a department store back in Malaysia. Back then, I didn't even have any clue about make up!

Well, it's not available here. It retails at around MYR 20+, but I got it for around MYR18/19. They had 10% off on make up products while I was there. What a steal! What about converted to NZD? Don't even start - I'll probably blabber how Asia is the best place to buy anything....

Skin Clarifying Stick with Mineral Clay effectively and visibly clears away appearance of pores, skin impurities and absorbs excess sebum for a clearer healthy-looking skin. 

There are two shades available - 01 Fresh & 02 Natural

The 01 Fresh does gives a combination of ashy grey and yellow.

Here's a swatch.

Blended out, ashy yellow.

On my face. (Without setting spray, taken from natural light)

Coverage : Light to Medium

Brightens up the face, patchy on dry areas, covers up redness but does not cover any eye bags. 

Long-lastingness : 5+ hours

Not entirely shine-free, works best with a setting spray.

Scent : None

4/5 'cause accentuates the dry areas, works well on a daily basis.

I did a look with my Sleek palette and lipstick. I think it fared well.

What do you think?

Read More

Etude House x Disney 's Minnie Wink Lash #01 Up Lash

I got the Minnie Wink Upper Lashes from my Sasa haul a while back. They cost USD $ 3.90, but retails for around NZD $10 on Ebay last I checked. :O 

The lashes came out from the Etude x Disney XOXO collection last year. 

They have the criss-cross pattern and are actually brown false eyelashes. 

It makes a huge difference having them on.

Here's a picture of the lashes on.

Side view.

Final verdict : Natural and cute lashes. Can be worn to achieve the droopy-eye effect. They're lightweight, easy to put on. The lash band is clear. Pretty flexible. I feel like it will get worn out easily. :| I like them! Would recommend them to a beginner!

XOXO

Read More

Sleek MakeUp Haul

I did a lil Sleek MakeUp haul last month because I was looking around for a decent yet affordable eyeshadow palette. Picking up a few things on the way.

Products I've purchased :

 i-Dvine Storm Palette ~ USD $ 11.99

True Colour Lipstick in Loved Up ~ USD $ 7.49

True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry ~ USD $ 7.49

Blush in Rose Gold ~ USD $ 6.99

Shipping cost : USD $ 3.44

Ordred on : 18/7

Arrived a week after.

5/5

No complaints.

Everything arrived in one piece! 

Plus, it's good to know that they took the extra time with packaging.

Thank you, Martin from Sleek MakeUp!

FYI, I am well aware there are other NZ Beauty sites that sell Sleek MakeUp products but it is actually way, way cheaper to get them from their official site.

Read More

Akdong Musician(AKMU) - 200% M/V

Have you check out korean siblings Akdong Musician(s)?

Read More

My second Sasa.com Haul

Behold, my second purchase from Sasa.com! My order came up to around NZD $ 49.

  

<Insert an excuse here to justify my shopping habit>

Essential's Damage Care Rich Premier Hair Mask , 200 ml ~ USD $ 9.60

I've seen an advertorial on Xiaxue's blog and always wanted to try it out while I was back in Malaysia. It was only sold in Singapore tough. :( Then I got around to Sasa and decided to try it out! 

Lancome's Galaties Douceur Gentle Softening Cleansing Fluid , 50 ml ~ USD $ 4.80

This was a sample size and not for sale (written on the product). Thought it was worth the money. And besides, I was looking out for a make up remover.

Clinique's Superbalm moisturizing Gloss, 7 ml ~ USD $ 4.80

Sample size too. Reasonable price. Why not? Clinique products are too overpriced in NZ anyway.

Koji's Eyelash Fix , 7 g ~ USD $ 7.70

It came out with the Lash Concierge line and thought of trying this.

Koji's Dolly Wink Lower False Eyelash in #14 Natural Cute, 2 pairs ~ USD $ 13.50

A new one to add into my Dolly Wink False Eyelash collection. They're costing me a fortune. 

And that's all for my second haul. Til next time! 

Read More

Dear No One.

"I'd love to have soulmate. God will give him to me someday. And I know, it will be worth the wait."

Totally feelin' this song today.

Love,
Jojo

Read More

First Sasa.com MiniHaul!

I'm back today with my first Sasa.com Haul! 

Sasa has physical stores around Asia but was originally from Hong Kong. They're pretty much an Asian Sephora that offers heaps of asian beauty products. I've bought some cheap-as-pretty nail polishes from their store at The Spring Mall back in Malaysia. 

They had the special free shipping above purchases USD $ 39 so I was like, why not? And they had better prices for some of the Dolly Wink eyelashes. That's much more reasonable than getting overpriced cosmetics here. PPssh.

Anyway, here's my purchase.

That's around NZD $ 48 which is pretty reasonable since they're probably be outrageously priced when they get here. I actually went to the asian beauty store at Church Corner and they had the same Dolly Wink eyelashes for NZD $ 25 each. :(

3/5/2014

Placed my order.

5/5/2014

Order was dispatched from Singapore.

14/5/2014

Arrived at NZ Post. Signature was required, but was not at home to collect it.

15/5/2014

Picked it up at the post office.

I couldn't help it. I had to unwrap it in my car.

Package was bubble-wrapped nicely and the box was filled with those plastic peanuts thingy. 

Here's my Mini Lash Haul! Shall review them soon!

Taken from Instagram @joanneeelim

My verdict :

My experience with Sasa.com was pleasant. Hassle-free. They have special free shipping offers from time to time, so that's good if you're from overseas! I'll probably recommend on doing smaller purchases if you do not want to get taxed because Sasa states the exact value of the package. 

I've already done my second order from them! Til then, I will be saving up until I get back to Malaysia and head to their physical store and go nuts!

Read More

A Pastel Winter

Winter has arrived and in comes clothes with darker colors. There's a whole load of scientific backing to this too. In this case, darker colors absorbs more heat. But does it have to be that way? #allinthenameoffashion

I have complied a wishlist of pastel-colored coats for this season.

Zara's Textured Wool Look Boyfriend Coat

ASOS Dolly Coat in Jacquard

Corina Peacoat

Boiled Wool Boyfriend Coat

Emillio Pucci Purple Coat

What do you think? Will you still stick to the darker colors?

Read More

Hits & Misses of April 2014

I've decided to start a new segment - sharing hits and misses at the end of each month!

Hits

Maybelline's BabyLips Lip Balm in Mango Pie

Bought it for NZD $ 2 at NewWorld.

This is my baby! I use it everyday. Definitely soft on the lips and moisturizing.

E.l.f. Brightening Eye Color in Butternut 

Can be find in Kmart for NZD $ 5.

This was actually given from a friend is my favourite to-go palette. 

E.l.f. Eyelid Primer in Pearl

Retails for NZD $ 5 at Kmart.

Love it! Works really well with the E.l.f. eyeshadows.

Misses

Nivea's Hydro Care Lip Balm

Bought this around NZD $ 2 at  CountDown.

The texture is too thin. Lips doesn't really feel moisturized. 

L.A. Colors Lash Building in Brown Black

NZD $4 from Bucket Deals. 

They just don't do it for me. Smudging all the way.

Maybelline Cool Effect Cooling Shadow/Liner in Love on The Rocks

NZD $8 from Bucket Deals.

Works alright as a liner. Color does not really show on the eyelid.

Read More

Dolly Eyes from Diamond Lashes's First Series (REVIEW)

I've been doing alot of research on Gyarus eversince my sudden urge for Japanese cosmetics. Bare in my mind, I'm still very much into Korean cosmetics! :)

Gyaru (ギャル, "gal") culture has evolve eversince the early twenties. Mainstream gyaru make up today is more shifted 'otona', the softer side. One thing you would noticed from the picture is the emphasis on the eyes. See how it pops out with the addition of falsies! Word on the blogsphere, Diamond Lashes produces one of the most popular Japanese falsies.

I actually bought this falsies last year, took me ages to get to them.

These eyelashes were so dramatic that I had to...

Put some lower lash. I don't even have that much lower eyelash to balance it up. I only had the cheap China-made ones at that time so it will have to do. Note to self don't ever get the cheap ones.

Then again, it turned out alright. My first time putting on falsies, not quite what I pictured it to be.

And last but no least, you won't have the Dolly Look until you stare into the camera blankly!

Final verdict : Love it. I wouldn't wear them out everyday tough. Lash band might be a tad bit obvious. They tend to get heavier as time goes by. They're pretty easy to remove. Not much complaint! DEFINITELY GIVE THEM A GO IF YOU ARE INTO FALSIES! 

4 out of 5.

Read More

Cheesie's GEO Rainbow Color Choco Brown Lenses Review

If you don't know who Cheesie is, I would assume that you are not from where I am originally from! HELLO THAR. Thanks for stopping by. Brace yourself for a long as post.

Cheesie is one of the top bloggers in Malaysia. She blogs about fashion and Japan alot. She's like your online personal guide to Japan. Like, seriously. 

Let's get back to the important part. She started her line of cosmetics circle lenses. CLICK HERE for more details. You can find the non-powered ones in West Malaysia's Sasa stores, but I heard they were sold off. You'll have better luck heading to Tokyoninki to buy them, but some of the nicer colors are out of stock tough. I only got to know about her circle lenses when she released the second line of her circle lenses. The 3-tone lenses from her first series look fabber. :((((

After much contemplation, I decided to get them since the site had the BUY 3 FREE 1 package. If Sasa sold them, that means that they are pretty reliable right? Sasa is the Asian Sephora for those of you who don't know already! 

Mind you, I did went a wee bit crazy with my purchase from Tokyoninki. 

What I bought:

BUY 3 FREE 1 PACKAGE , MYR $174.00

• RainbowColor Aurora Ash
• RainbowColor Vivid Brown
• RainbowColor Choco Brown
• RainbowColor Ocean Blue

RainbowColor Earth Brown MYR $29.00

Total cost : MYR $203.00 ~ around NZD $74.00 

Shipping is free when you spend MYR $200+. What a steal if you ask me!  It took one month for me to receive the package tough, even with a tracking number. There were issues with the Postal Service in Malaysia. The package was supposed to be sent to New Zealand but ended up in New York instead. And USPS even redirected it to New Jersey. Chloe, the person from Tokyoninki who I was dealing with, was really nice about it, did follow up with me by sending in a complaint. 

The whole ordeal was a mess and reminded me how I should never used the normal postal service in Malaysia. Sigh. 

On the bright side, I've received my lenses.  

I'll be reviewing the GEO RainbowColour Choco Brown Lenses. 

Manufacturer: RainbowColor

Diameter: 14.2mm

Country of origin: Korea

Life Span: 3 months disposable 

Base Curve: 8.6mm

It was supposed to look like this:

It looked slightly darker on my eyes:

Comfort level : Not bad. My eyes got a little dried after hitting the 3rd-4th hour. May need to pop in eye drops from now and then.

Design : Simple, but the limbal ring makes it more obvious when you are looking at them more closely. You can work this lenses without any make up on. Booyeah!

It looks natural from afar tough.

This photo was taken using the front camera of a phone. It does look like there is slight enlargement in my irises.

My final verdict :

4 out of 5.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Read More